Former U.S. national team coach Bob Gansler analyzes the World Cup final as told to Journal Sentinel reporter Charles F. Gardner. Gansler coached the U.S. team the last time Germany won the World Cup (as West Germany) in 1990 in Italy.

With Neymar out and Brazil’s forwards ineffective throughout the World Cup, it will be up to the team’s defenders and midfielders to keep Brazil in contention in its semifinal against Germany on Tuesday.

Brazil striker Neymar and Colombia playmaker James Rodriguez have led their teams to the World Cup quarterfinals, dominating the attention and the scoring. The 22-year-old stars will go head-to-head when Brazil plays Colombia on Friday, when only one will get the chance to continue his run at the tournament.

In what’s becoming something of a modern World Cup tradition, Brazilians are closely following every team the Rolling Stones’ Mick Jagger supports with an eye at mocking him for apparently casting bad spells on his picks.

The United States lost its match to Germany Thursday, 1-0, but advanced out of Group G to the round of 16 as Portugal beat Ghana, 2-1, in the other group match. The U.S. will play Belgium on July 1 for a chance to advance to the quarterfinals.(24)

It will probably be a little disconcerting for Jurgen Klinsmann to coach the U.S. against Germany in the World Cup on Thursday. After all, “The Golden Bomber” is one of the greatest players in Germany’s storied history.

The Americans were about to romp into the round of 16 at the World Cup, about to walk off with their first come-from-behind win at soccer's showcase. About to advance with a game to spare. Then Varela scored on the game's last play to give Portugal a 2-2 draw.(24)

Twice now, Belgium has relied on a late revival boosted by stamina and its bench to turn desperate situations around at the World Cup. On Sunday, it was teenager Divock Origi who turned a listless Belgian performance into a late 1-0 win over Russia, enough to qualify for the next round.

With a win over the Portuguese and reigning world player of the year Cristiano Ronaldo, the U.S. would accomplish a pair of American firsts: reaching the knockout stage of consecutive World Cups and advancing with a game to spare.

Ghana held Germany to a 2-2 draw on Saturday despite veteran striker Miroslav Klose coming on as a substitute to tie the World Cup scoring record with the equalizer in their highly entertaining Group G match.(1)

Costa Rica followed up its surprise win over Uruguay with another World Cup stunner Friday, beating four-time champion Italy, 1-0, to secure a spot in the next round and eliminate England in the process.(2)

Charles F. Gardner and former Milwaukee Rampage coach Boro Sucevic discuss the U.S. victory over Ghana, review the first week of the World Cup, and look ahead to the U.S. match against Portugal Sunday.

Clint Dempsey scored one of fastest goals in World Cup history and John Brooks scored the game winner on a header in the 86th minute of a 2-1 U.S. victory over Ghana, which had knocked the Americans out of the previous two World Cups.(4)

Uruguay was overrun, 3-1, Friday by Group D underdog Costa Rica in a World Cup match in Mogi das Cruzes, Brazil, a stunning result for the team that reached the semifinals four years ago and had every reason to think it could repeat that in Brazil.

About this time every four years, Jimmy Banks gets that familiar tingling feeling. Five World Cups have been played since Jimmy Banks stepped on the field wearing the United States colors in 1990 in Italy, and a sixth is under way.

The Netherlands thrashed the world champions, 5-1, Friday in the World Cup’s first shocker, toying with an aging Spanish team that has dominated global football for the past six years and avenging a loss in the 2010 final.(1)